Stop me if you've heard this one before: once upon a time, in the uncharted territories of deep space, a rag tag group of misfits joined forces to help the denizens of the galaxy resist a fascistic, oppressive peacekeeping force. These misfits are made up of a wisecracking man plucked from his home planet of Earth, a militaristic warrior woman upon whom he has a crush (and the feeling is mutual), a kooky alien with healing properties that even other aliens find bizarre, a muscular brute with a heart of gold, and a bitter little guy who appears to be completely selfish but, deep down, is fiercely loyal.

If you've already asked me to stop and said "those are the Guardians of the Galaxy," well hold your frelling horses, friend: I'm talking about the crew of Moya, the living ship, from the TV series "Farscape." The series, produced by the Jim Henson Company, aired on the SyFy Channel (originally the Sci-Fi Channel) from 1999 to 2003, and while it never became a hit on the level of "Star Trek" or "Battlestar Galactica," it garnered a small but intensely passionate following.

One of the show's fans was none other than James Gunn, who, when Marvel Studios tapped him to co-write and direct 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy," was inspired by the Rockne S. O'Bannon-created series. Although Gunn has been coy about citing his influences in the past, he happily admitted to looking to "Farscape" for inspiration when making the "Guardians" films, posting on Twitter in 2017: "People are always bringing up a million films asking me if they're inspirations. Usually the answer is no. In the case of #Farscape it is most definitely YES. (sic)"

Gunn's "Guardians" trilogy are three of the most beloved films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and rightfully so. They're a remarkable blend of space opera, comic book-style stakes and irreverent humor. That mixture is also present in "Farscape," so if you're a fan of the "Guardians" films, you owe it to yourself to check out the adventures of John Crichton in the Uncharted Territories. Here are a few reasons why.